Cult vs. Community

Many years ago, I was fortunate to be a member of a solid, lay community. For almost seven years, I got up and prayed with my companions, a house of fourteen in a community of two-thousand, worked at various jobs, and even worked full-time for a while for the community. I learned discipline, order, virtue training, and servanthood.

The community was outward looking, involved in many "ministries" which reached out to the very pagan community in which it was located. We had street ministry, coffee house ministry, youth and children catechesis, members working in parishes in RCIA and other ministries, and homosexual rescue ministry.

This community had one huge focus which brought us all together. We all loved Jesus Christ, and He was (and still is) the center of our lives.

Communities bring life to other people, evangelize, grow.

Cults are inward looking, centering on the members themselves, and become stagnant spiritually. Frequently, Catholic cults, and, yes, there are some, care more about the group than the people outside the group.

Yes, commitment was an important and necessary part of the community to which I belonged. We met daily in our small groups, weekly in groups of one-hundred, based on the Mosaic organization, and weekly in larger groupings, monthly with the entire community. One met with one's spiritual director once a week, or once every two weeks.

Ministries met to organize, plan, go out into the world to spread the love of Christ to all.

Cults just exist to feed themselves. And, cults usually believe things which are not Catholic, and even against Church teaching.

The sign that a person is in a cult rather than a community can be isolationism, or paranoia. Indeed, the cult defends its own position by turning the wagons inward, or by digging a moat and throwing alligators in the moat.

Not good.

Not healthy.

As people come together for protection and common support, one can follow two simple rules to "take the temperature" of the group and determine whether the group has fallen into the sickness of a cult, or is a healthy community.

Rule One, are the members orthodox and following the teachings of the Catholic Church, loyal to Rome and to the Magisterium?

Rule Two, are the members reaching out to others, spreading the Gospel, doing works of mercy both spiritual and material?

If one can answer "yes" to both questions, one has encountered a healthy community.

If one of the answers is "no", run the other way.

Years ago, I encountered a Catholic community which had one goal-to sustain itself and keep the community going. This community had become cultic, focusing inwardly on itself and its members and not reaching out. Not surprisingly, many of the members had deviated in their beliefs so that they no longer followed Church Teaching.

Cults can seem orthodox, until one speaks with members who begin to exhibit paranoia, exclusivity, pride. Orthodoxy means following the Church in teaching and in practice. Sadly, cults may be found at either extreme spectrum of schismatic ideas, both traditional and liberal.

A healthy community does not have members who are hiding from the world, but members who are trying to save souls.

Preaching the Gospel and saving souls is the call of every Catholic.

Christ gave us a command, not a suggestion when He said this:

Matthew 28:19 Douay-Rheims

19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Each lay person is called to teach, to evangelize, to bring others to Christ. We are not called merely to protect ourselves from spiritual danger. 

A strong community does protect its members, but those members also must respond to the love of God for all people.

Learn the difference. To become a member of a cult will endanger your immortal soul.

Another sign of cultic behavior is liturgical rigorism. Those trads who do not believe the NO is valid have departed from Church teaching and have fallen into a cultic mindset. Rigorism is not the same as obedience to liturgical norms. Obedience to the Church's rules on liturgy, on ritual, is a virtue. Only attending a TLM on Sunday,and not attending Mass if only a NO is available is a mortal sin, and those who join together holding such a false idea have formed a cult.

Be careful, be honest, be open to others, be truly orthodox. love Christ above all, and be obedient.

Then, you will be in the loving arms of the Church and not in a cult.

See also

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2015/08/paranoia-vs-prep-and-ouroboros.html

Fast-Food Spirituality

Perhaps most Catholics do not know that some saints had to face the courts of the Inquisition and defend their writings, as well as their new orders.

Because of the numerous heretical writings and new orders, such as those spawning from the heresy of the Albigensians, some saints had to prove before Church officials, their true orthodoxy and obedience to Holy Mother Church.

SS. Ignatius of Loyola and Teresa of Avila had to submit to this type of investigation. Of course, as they were totally obedience and orthodox, their causes were upheld as good and true. That they were humble and followed the long teaching of the Church regarding waiting on God, proved their holiness.

What we find today is the opposite type of trial-the trial of those who are orthodox by those who are unorthodox.

Years ago, before Mr. Voris used the phrase, I wrote of the theology of nice, the prevailing religious opinion that peace, tranquility, and tolerance had become the stand of too many Catholics, including priests and nuns. The greatest good for decades in some areas, as Fulton J. Sheen noted as well, has been tolerance.

But, among Catholics, this religion of nicety means that difficult situations, or problems can never be brought up or discussed. The tyranny of silence has fallen over some parishes and even dioceses where one simply cannot bring up such issues as illegal Masses said daily by lax priests, or New Age spirituality being taught, or the heresies endemic among Charismatics. If one wants to help teach or correct errors, one finds that the vast majority of people in certain areas are unteachable.

One of my friends noted that people want short-cuts to holiness, and do not want to endure the work of study and the long journey to higher prayer and holiness. He told me that in this fast-food culture, people want holiness NOW, without the work.

And, if they are told that become a saint is hard and involves suffering, the conversation ends.

At one point in time, he was considering a Dominican vocation, (somewhere out east of here), and discovered what I saw in the vision of the Smarties, that those around him only wanted the consolations without the Cross.

We shall be caught up in the Cross whether we want to or not. Either we shall be crucified with Christ, sharing in His Passion, or we shall be one of those who stands and watches, even deriding those who choose to endure the long, painful way of the long teaching of the Church on prayer and penance.

Today, in prayer, it was clear to me that in order to be able to stand up against the disobedience and mediocrity in the Church, I would have to do more penance.

Most crucifixes depict a serene Christ, already dead. Few show the agony of the Dying Christ.

Those who want fast-food holiness or spirituality cannot endure the long suffering of purgation and penance.

There is no easy way to find God and be one with Him.

When I have tried to teach in the past, and I was thinking of this phenomenon this morning when contemplating the fact that those younger than I am do not relate to metaphors, I became aware, by 1982, at the latest, that my students no longer shared the same language in order to understand great literature.

For example, I was teaching a class on the Arthurian myths, and all my students, at ND had been valedictorians of their high school graduating class. And yet, one young woman did not know the word, "chalice". She had never heard it before we read the story of the Holy Grail. She was confused.

I told her what a chalice was, as we were discussing the text, and she said, "Oh, we call that the cup."

David Jones wrote about this sad phenomenon of the Western man and woman losing the common Catholic heritage, or even larger Western heritage of words referring to something in the common culture.

He described "the Break" in the consciousness of the West as occurring absolutely in World War I.

The "Break" now is obvious in the Church. Words no longer mean the same thing to Catholics. Concepts regarding the sacraments, or prayer, or worship do not resound with the same definitions as in early times.

We cannot share metaphors or, more seriously, theological concepts, or even basic religious truths as the language of Catholicism has become more and more distorted by either heretical or New Age interpretations, or by laziness.

A language of Faith must be reclaimed and this reclamation involves hard work on the part of those, like me, who want to teach the real meanings of words, or those who want to learn. The willingness to learn and not merely to get knowledge one's self is a sign of good will and humility.

Few want to learn. They want fast-food spirituality.

I have written before here on the fact that one cannot take short-cuts to holiness. First of all, as noted in the hundred of posts in the perfection series, one begins with and in orthodoxy.

If one cannot "pass" the test of basic truths of the Faith, one clearly has to go back to Square One.

When I was in the convent in the novitiate, I had to go back to Square One, as all women were treated the same, whether they had a degree in theology or not.

I found the test delightful, and I learned more and more going back to the basics. Nothing which is good and truthful can be boring.

But, then, I was always a cook who did everything the "long way", like making my own pie crust, making mayonnaise, not buying frozen dinners or much less frozen anything.

Like a good Montessori teacher, I taught my son to do things "from scratch" and to enjoy every slow step of the way.

In the land of spirituality, there are no fast-food prayers, or techniques, or ways to holiness. That was the teaching of the heretics over and over and over.

Unlike SS. Ignatius Loyola and Teresa of Avila who understood that prayer was a lifestyle and not a method. that prayer, as I noted in the Framing Prayer series, was more than mere adaptation, but a way of looking at life, those who want quick results, and who do not want to learn "the long way" will fall into deceit.

Satan has a common ploy to make people believe that they are holier than they really are. Fr. Chad Ripperger, in a talk I heard years ago and which is online somewhere, told a shocked audience that most people had not even begun to climb the ladder of holiness.

Prayer and study, quiet and simplicity, humility and self-knowledge.....a few of those key rungs on the ladder which bring us all back to the work of our lives-becoming saints.

A Re-post for My Sisters in The Lord

Especially for C, J, S, D, J, S, T, and others...
Saturday, 16 June 2012

A Meditation on Rebekah for My Sisters Online

Posted by Supertradmum

The women of the Old Testament came into their own in the Catholic Church when I was in my twenties, as Bible Studies for the home and church groups became popular. However, I grew up with the Bible, perhaps an usual scenario for a Catholic family in the 1950s and 1960s, but we had Bible Study in my Catholic school and I had my own Bible, which I loved, illustrated not only with beautiful pictures, but with photos from the Holy Land. The drawings were by an order of nuns. I gave it away years ago to another child.

One of my favorite women, who is human and not as perfect as a saint, is Rebekah. Her caring spirit led her to happiness. Now, for some reason, I have always liked camels. I have actually ridden on a camel in the past, and would do so again. I like the fact that they as "ships of the desert", strong, resilient, and fast, apparently. The one I rode went at a leisurely pace.

Rebekah gave water to the servant of Abraham, Eliezer, and to his camels. Maybe that is one reason I like the story so much. She took care of the man and the animals quite freely and drawing water for thirsty camels, and some commentaries state there were ten, would take a long time, perhaps all morning. Some commentators have noted that the girl would have made 34 trips to the well, based on how much water the typical camel would take after a journey and how much water she could hold in her jar. This girl was not selfish! And, she was strong of mind and body, as well, as the Book of Genesis tells us, beautiful. I like Rebekah. She is a woman of the prairie, if I may use that term, like my ancestors, those women who worked hard and were kind and generous with whatever material things they had. Rebekah reminds us that if we are doing our duty, working hard at what God has called us to do, we shall be rewarded by His Grace. Rebekah was given gold and a nose ring, the signs of redemption. We have that sign of redemption through Jesus Christ in baptism

Rebekah met Eliezer at the well, always a sign of life in the Scriptures, whether in the Old or New Testament. Christ is the Living Water and this story points to the fulfillment of love in the New Covenant.

Rebekah freely , with her own will served Eliezer and his camels, but also, freely, agreed to the marriage to Isaac. She was asked if she would marry him and if she would leave her family and go back with Eliezer to Isaac. She said "yes". This was one brave girl. But, I would like to think that she answered in love. Love surrounds this story, as does the Presence of God. Eliezer prayed for a sign and  as soon as he prayed, his answer came. He trusted in God. Rebekah, a woman of virtue, responded in love and care to Eliezer and his needs.

I want to emphasize that, unusually for the time, Rebekah was asked whether she wanted to be married to the unknown Isaac. She replied "yes" and her yes led to life and goodness. She was given a gold coin and a nose ring, as I noted above, the sign of a person being redeemed from slavery at the time. We are redeemed and the sign of our redemption is the indelible mark we receive at baptism. All this is in Chapter 24. Free will is so important in our relationship with God. He desires that we love Him freely.

Rebekah had free will and she answered yes to a new life. To respond in the affirmative to God brings new life to people around us as well as to ourselves.

Be brave and kind, and like Rebekah, concentric circles of love and goodness will reach out to others from your soul.

One more note, Rebekah and Eliezer met at the well, always a sign of life in the Bible. Water was necessary for life and Christ is the Living Water, as He told the Woman at the Well.

Meetings at wells signify new life and conversion. Again, we are reminded of our baptisms. Live, love, give life, that is our role as Catholic women in the world

Warfare

All of my closest friends are under spiritual attack. Sometimes this warfare "gets physical". I cannot describe how badly I feel that so many are experiencing the onslaught of evil which is ratcheting up prior to the SCOTUS decision. I am praying for all of my readers even though I cannot answer all of your emails. I am exhausted at this time.

If this court does what I think it will do, America as a country "under God" will be dead.

Today, on the street where I am temporarily, many houses sported American flags. Sadly, this symbol becomes more and more sinister in my view. This country is being changed by those who hate Christ so quickly, I can hardly keep up with the events pushing the agendas of the enemies of God.

Make no mistake--some people choose to become enemies of God. They choose fame, status, money, or whatever for the Kingdom of God. They choose their own wills and not God's Will.

A country which consistently chooses paths away from God's Plan will end up destroying itself from the inside, and, mostly likely, incurring the wrath of God from the outside.

The list of empires which fell through unethical, immoral, even depraved lifestyles would be a long list. Abortion itself cries out to God for punishment. But, the unnatural sins of those who to live in homosexual relationships will not be ignored by God.

Many years ago, we all were given warnings to pray against sin. Few heeded the words of Our Lady and her chosen saints-Lucy, Jacinta, Francisco, Faustina, Therese, John Bosco, and so on. Daily, I am reminded that we all waste time on trivia instead of getting ready for the final battles of Good against evil.

The war has been won by Our Lord Jesus Christ, but the battle for souls continues until the Second Coming of Christ.

Some old people said to me recently, "This country is no longer my country. I hardly recognize America."

God recognizes the good and the evil. He will not be mocked, however, by the arrogant, even Catholic politicians, who think they can hold positions concerning ssm contrary to the Church.

Obedience is the most important virtue, not humility, as obedience helps one become humble step-by-step. And, those who obey God's laws and His Church will be saved by their humble acquiescence to God's Will for us.

As I go through my books and sort things out, still looking for a necessary document, which is mysteriously missing, (please pray--this is not an optional thing at this time), I am reminds of the great minds which have gone before us to light out way to truth. The Early Church Fathers, the Doctors of the Church, the great theologians, poets, essayists, moral and mystical teachers fill by boxes. I am extremely grateful that God led me to so many wonderful people in my life to show me the way to purgation.

I am very, very grateful for His graces, which have been many in my life. But, all men and women are given graces to turn to Him, to repent, to study, to learn, to pray, to become one with God. All.

Too many have turned away, only looking at themselves instead of God.

Keep God as the Center of your entire life, your day, your decisions.

Look at Christ. And pray for the endurance which we shall all need in days to come.

Please keep me in your prayers.

Retreat Notes on Authority

I only have time to write this and one other post on the retreat, which is now over. Father Xavier's presentation on authority was one of the most important parts of the retreat. Again, he reiterated Church teaching and many things I have put on this blog in the past. But, his great intuitions cannot be surpassed.

Starting with Adam and Eve, Father Xavier pointed out some key points which I shall place as bullets.

• Adam had knowledge from God concerning the Tree of Good and Evil. Eve did not. Therefore, Eve had to be in obedience to Adam to be free from sinning.
• Eve's sin was curiosity (which I wrote about here) and when the snake began to talk, as animals did not talk (Eden is NOT Narnia) she should have left the scene immediately and asked Adam for discernment and help.
• If she would have done that, Adam would not have committed the great sin of acting like God and usurping God's role. Eve usurped the authority of both God and Adam. Adam usurped the authority of God directly.
• If women are obedient to their husbands, and if we are obedient to the Church, we are protected.
• No one who steps outside of obedience is protected and therefore open to demonic influences.
• Disobedience opens one up to demonic influences.

If a man uses authority for his own ends, like selfishness, he is sinning against God. Women sin by not being obedient.

Marriages are ruined by the desire to control on the part of the woman and the desire to be selfish on the part of the man.

Adam did not take care of Eve by refusing the apple. This is the sin of men.

Children are protected if they are obedient to their parents, but not protected from evil is they are disobedient.

Father noted that women are not submissive or have to be obedient to men in heaven, Men and women have the same status in heaven, so that if married women can learn to be obedience, they will get to heaven and be happy as equals.

Nice....

Now, one of the gravest examples of the usurpation of authority today is this false idea of the laying of hands on people by charismatics. I was so happy to hear Father talk about this, as I have written on this blog many, many times about one, not doing this, and, two, not letting anyone do this to you.

No one has authority over anyone else except husbands over wives and parents over children. The hierarchy of the Church has authority over all of us, single or married, in the laws of the Church.

Do not fall into this false laying of hands, Father said clearly. In fact, one is opening up one's self to demonic influences through those people who are usurping authority.

Sigh, I felt vindicated, but God has taught me many things through the years and I was so glad that a good priest was stating strongly what I had learned the hard way.

Obedience is the root of holiness as it is connected to holiness.

No lay person can bless anyone else or claim authority in this way, especially claiming the laying of hands, which is ONLY a priestly function, done by priests or bishops. Only the priest's hands are consecrated.

Parents may pray over their children and even anoint them with sacred oil, but no one else, outside the clerical hierarchy.

Demonic influence will enter a person's life through the false laying of hands. As Father said, they mean well, but they are wrong, and "out of order."

Thank you, Father, for backing me up on this point. Humility is the key to serving God as He has ordained us to serve Him. Usurpation of power is a serious sin.

More in a bit..

OK A Respite And A Post on A Common Sin

Mark 6:1-6

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.2 On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense[b] at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.

I am in a waiting mode and cannot do any of the work I need to do for some very good reasons. I also need surgery but cannot schedule that either. Pray for me. My only consolation is that I am joined to the Cross of Christ in a real way. I rely totally on Divine Providence alone.

Therefore, I am writing a post on the sin of sentimentality, one to which I am not personally prone, but one which I find is more common in America than in Europe. Europeans tend to fall into the sin of cynicism, which is that nothing is true or good or holy. The sin of sentimentality encourages a subjective thinking in which a person only sees the good, and never evil. A healthy objectivity marks the saint, who knows in the depth of his heart and soul that one could be the worst sinner ever, but for the grace of God.

This objectivity must be reached and is encouraged by God in the Dark Night, in the passive purgation.

One waits for God. One waits in God, but one must never fall into sentimentality.

Not being of a romantic nature, I have other sins, but this sin of sentimentality grips the GenXers, who look towards good feelings.

Sentimentality rests on bad theology, a theology which confuses natural law, and the dignity of the human person, seeing all things, all creation as equal, which it is most certainly not.

Now, my readers know that I really like animals. I am partial to birds, dogs, cats, and horses.

But, I am not sentimental about such creatures. They have animal souls and I shall not see my dead pets in heaven.

God gave me these pets for my comfort and amusement while on earth. Period.

GenXers were raised on sentiment, which comes from seeing the emotions as all-important and the reasoning faculties of humans as not worthy of consideration. When classical education fell into disuse, along with it was the loss of the training of the mind in rational discourse. How many times have I written on this topic on this blog and the Guild blog as well? Many.

Emotions clog up the soul, the mind, the heart, the imagination with goo and this goo bubbles up into sentimentality.

Catholics seriously lack discernment. Why? Three reasons. One, they refuse to admit that in Confirmation they are given the gift of knowledge which develops into discernment with prayer and practice. Sloth takes over the practice of virtue.

Two, discernment demands that one is absolutely ruthless about one's own sins. Humility brings about discernment.

Three, deceit in the world clouds many people's imaginations to be the point where they can no longer think like Catholics. Catholics, especially saints, know that the emotions must follow reason, or one becomes a slave of emotion and sentimentality.

God's justice must be the most misunderstood attribute of God in 2015, because people have fallen into sentimentality. Sentimentality will not judge between good and evil. We can name a very prominent priest who has fallen into heresy over sentimentality about God being so merciful that He would not allow anyone to choose hell.

Remember when I wrote about raising mushy kids instead of children in the Church Militant? This mushiness rises out of the sin of sentimentality.

The Church in the pew in America is weak because sentimentality creates nasty, long roots of false connections, tying one down to pagan families, immoral cultural pursuits, and even mortal sin. Sentimentality crushes truth, making one feel good about themselves, their families, even their friends.

Unbelief comes from many sources, but sentimentality and cynicism destroy belief. Christ in today's Gospel is seen as not being able to work in His own territory. Why?

The lack of discernment.....and if you remember, I have an entire series on discernment.

More later, maybe.....maybe.

Obedience, obedience, obedience..............

One old example of disobedience...and good guidelines, which I have also written on this blog before finding this...
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/obedience-to-catholic-church-judging.html

The root cause of the ongoing deception: The necessity of spiritual direction and obedience The important missing element which allowed for the ongoing demonic deceptions in the life of Sr. Magdalena was the absence of a priest spiritual director to guide and discern her alleged mystical gifts and supernatural graces. Obedience is the "litmus test" of the Church, and it seems that Sr. Magdalena was never subjected to obedience to a spiritual director. Had she been, the demonic deceptions would certainly have been detected much sooner. Mystics and visionaries should always be guided by a priest spiritual director, and it should always be the priest who directs the mystic, and NOT the mystic who directs the priest. A priest spiritual director represents Christ and His authority within the Church, and therefore mystical and supernatural graces should be subjected to this authority to help discern their authenticity.

For sure another one of the spiritual lessons is that all that glitters is not necessarily gold, and the devil does not counterfeit tin or copper, or even silver---he seeks to counterfeit gold. So we need to be very careful, with the help of God, not to be misled by his phony deceptions. - See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/12/sister-magdalena-of-cross-nun-who-made.html#sthash.DPaahhyo.dpuf

Today's First Reading

In the Old Testament, the idea of rebellion encompasses several aspects.

In some translations of other texts, rebellion indicates a need for healing.  But in today's reading, rebellion is clearly seen as having three other facets.

In the first instance, rebellion does not listen. Rebellion reveals an unteachable heart, a stubbornness about the truth. Sometimes in the Church this means not heeding authority or guidance, as well as defying Church teaching.

In the second aspect, rebellion is connected with a lack of discipline, either external or internal discipline. This lack of discipline could entail not studying the Faith, not going to frequent confession, compromising or never fasting, or not mortifying one's self in any way.

In the third description, rebellion is seen as a lack of trusting in Divine Providence, a serious sin of self-reliance, and perhaps even an ignoring of God's will and plan for one's life. If one insists on one's own way, this attitude indicates a rebellious spirit. There can be an arrogance about being rebellious.

In the last reference, the soul which is rebellious, or in this case, the entire city, refuses to come to God, refuses to pray and observe the liturgical rites of the Old Law, from the heart. How many Catholics have I met who do not think that missing Sunday Mass is a serious sin? They are not giving God what is due to Him as God, honor and worship.

Sadly, Western society romanticizes rebellion with the adulation of the anti-hero as well as the belief that men have a right, even a need to rebel.

A truly spiritually rebellious person exhibits a hardness of heart, a stubbornness no to listen, learn, pray, repent. An over-emphasis on being unique spiritually is a bad sign. See my posts on Benedictine spirituality and the need to move away from singularity. That Gnosticism is rife in the Church today indicates that many people have fallen into rebellion through the desire and pursuit of "secret" or "special" knowledge.

Today, the prophet calls us all to repentance, and meekness, as humility is a sign of compliance with God's will.

Zephaniah 3:1-2Douay-Rheims 

3 Woe to the provoking, and redeemed city, the dove.

2 She hath not hearkened to the voice, neither hath she received discipline: she hath not trusted in the Lord, she drew not near to her God.

Discernment Part Five

There is much more in Garrigou-Lagrange's book and much more on this subject, but I want to highlight only this selection below. I have found that in my life there have been people who have seemed holy only for me to discover that they do not love the Church, or desire the Eucharist. One wonders at the discrepancies, until one realizes that all the virtues come to be exhibited by the person who is truly holy. All the baptized are called to holiness. but without discernment, we can be fooled in following erroneous ideas or waste time in groups or endeavors which actually lead us into pride.

Too many people also fall into the category described below as "exotic". Eccentricity is not a sign of holiness.  Simplicity and a genuine humility are always signs of the spirit of God, whether in priests or in lay people. That God allows humiliation in one's life is a sign that He is working on the virtues, freeing one from the ego so that these virtues may flourish.

I have emphasized some characteristics of this topic in order to show that we are capable of developing the gift of discernment which has a real purpose in our lives. It is too easy for anyone to fall into self-deceit concerning progress on the road to perfection without a grounding in discernment.

Here are the last paragraphs for consideration at this time. One can see how these ideas follow some of the entries in Raissa's Journal. That Garrigou-Lagrange was part of the lives of the Maritains should surprise none of my readers.

Therefore the spirit which chafes under humiliation is not a perfect spirit: neither is the spirit which neglects to deny itself a spirit of solid virtue, since all the virtues ought to develop in unison as they are so closely related to each other.

It follows, therefore, that a spirit which prompts a man to numerous acts of mortification but not to ready obedience is imperfect, and must be regarded at least to some extent as having an evil intention, since it is so insistent on following its own will. True it is that such a spirit is often the cause of many good works but these are not inspired by any love of God, as is evident from the lack of growth in humble obedience the sure sign of loving conformity to the will of God.

Neither is that spirit to be trusted which is always urging man to paradoxical action, which is continually forming judgments that conflict with the common opinion of prudent men. Such a spirit is, so to speak, exotic and artificial; it is impulsive rather than virtuous.

Similarly, there cannot be any doubt about the evil nature of a spirit which fosters in man a desire for what is extraordinary and willingly speaks of this to all and sundry. God would never lead a soul to the higher planes of the spiritual life without making it at the same time extremely humble, since all the virtues arc inter-related and so are perfected together. That is why it is so easy to distinguish the truly high-minded person from one who is presumptuous. It is part of the devil's plan to incite in man a desire for what is new, curious, abnormal, amazing, unusual, and so to excite the wonder and admiration of others that they will think of him as a saint.

The same holds true of a person not yet firmly grounded in the virtues of humility and obedience, who while professing a desire to imitate the saints, concentrates on details of their lives which were never intended to be imitated but simply admired, and dedicates himself to a life of extraordinary forms of prayer and penance.

How foolish to commence erecting a spiritual mansion from the top, like a bird trying to fly without wings! We should never be misled by the apparent success of a soul which makes such an attempt; its flight into the realms of mysticism is deceptive, dangerous, and to no purpose.

What is "the deposit of faith"?

Some Catholics have expressed to me that they like religions which allow them a fluidity of belief. Indeed, I heard a sermon last week, wherein the priest was appealing to the congregation to change their ideas concerning Church teaching. Only the Church, usually in the person of the Pope, can explain, modify or re-express the deposit of faith. That happens through the infallibility of certain documents, such as Humanae Vitae.

Explaining or modifying is not the same as a fluidity at base. This wish or desire for fluidity is a misunderstanding of the Church's depositum fidei, the deposit of faith.

One can start with the CCC, on the section concerning sacred transmission of truth. This truth is found in its fullness in the Catholic Church.

THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION
74 God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth":²⁹ that is, of Christ Jesus.³⁰ Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth:

God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.³¹

I. THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION
75 "Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline."³²
In the apostolic preaching. . .
76 In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
- orally "by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";³³
- in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing".³⁴
. . . continued in apostolic succession
77 "In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority."³⁵ Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time."³⁶
78 This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it. Through Tradition, "the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes."³⁷ "The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and her prayer."³⁸
79 The Father's self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church: "God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."³⁹

^{Now, we know that the Protestants chucked out most of Tradition in favor of the solas, to which I referred in a post yesterday, but also in the past on this blog. To disregard the preaching of the apostles and keep only Scripture (and not all) impoverished the Christian Faith in the Protestant denominations. Of course, without a concern for the deposit of faith, a fluidity of doctrine and knowledge became acceptable. If someone does not like something, one can change the doctrine-such as that of marriage. More from the CCC:}

II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE
One common source. . .
80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."⁴⁰ Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".⁴¹
. . . two distinct modes of transmission
81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."⁴²
"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."⁴³
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."⁴⁴
Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions
83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

An example of this would be the allowance of usury.  Such major changes are not based on the doctrines given to us by Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, passed to the apostles, down directly to us today, but only changes which are not key teachings of the Church. So, for example, the teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman for life cannot be changed. 

<sup>Now, two quick points-reason, not emotions, guide the acceptance of truth in the deposit of faith. Notice how the CCC refers to both the intellect and the heart.

Secondly, the faithful who are docile and obedient hold the sensus fidei. One, in other words, cannot be disobedient to Christ's words and the long heritage of Tradition and believe one is living in truth. Again, as an example, Humanae Vitae separates those who have the supernatural appreciation of the faith and those who do not.</sup>

See also the mini-series on infallibility.


III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH
The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church
84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),⁴⁵ contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."⁴⁶
The Magisterium of the Church
85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."⁴⁷ This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.
86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."⁴⁸
87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",⁴⁹ the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.
The dogmas of the faith
88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.
89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.⁵⁰
90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.⁵¹ "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."⁵²
The supernatural sense of faith
91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them⁵³ and guides them into all truth.⁵⁴
92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."⁵⁵
93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."

^{to be continued...}

Losing Out to Gnosticism and Sin

Catholic Readers,

We have been given the greatest gift in the world. We have been given the magnificent teachings of Christ, and the apostolic succession in an unbroken form from the time the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity walked on this earth.

No one, no group, can change the Magisterial Teaching and Tradition, as these are protected by the Holy Spirit, as is Mother Church. The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit has, continues, and will protect the one, true, holy and apostolic Church until Christ comes in His Second Coming.

This Second Coming will bring the Final Judgment and the End of the World. These are teachings, easily found in the CCC and elsewhere.

In these times, many Catholics have been lax about prayer and the interior life. They have not read the CCC nor have they followed excellent commentators, of which there are hundreds on line alone.

They have not spent time in reading the Scriptures or spending quiet time before God in Adoration.

There is no excuse for deception. If one is inclined to follow false teachers, one must pull back and look at one's own soul.

Deceit is the ploy of the Father of Lies. But, we all have free will. We can either follow Christ in His Church, or become Gnostics.

Gnosticism appeals to some who have the sin of pride and presumption as predominant faults. Gnostics almost destroyed the Church in some areas in ancient times.

But, the Church was not destroyed everywhere.

One must ask for humility. Too many trad Catholics are becoming Gnostics.

I am warning my readers and their friends not to separate themselves from Rome. In doing so, you are endangering your immortal soul.

STM

On Sedes and False Prophecies

Although there have been multiple articles on the Pope, Cardinal Burke and the chaos at the Synod, most of the authors, not all but most, have been guilty of the sin of fantasy. Extrapolating from sound bites and various translations of what the Pope says is fantasy.

What some of the more traditional bloggers and even newspapers have done is put their own agendas into the articles, none of which are true reporting (except for the few) but most which reveal antipathy towards the Pope.

The Pope has said nothing doctrinally binding, nothing from the Chair of Peter, except one encyclical, which was started by the Pope Emeritus and finished by Pope Francis.

Has the Pope causes confusion by saying too many things too quickly and encouraging consultation without considering results? Yes, but I remember the interview I put on this blog when the Pope was first elected, an interview of his press secretary, who said, point blank, that this Pope never does anything spontaneously. This comment is from a man who has known and worked intimately with Francis for a long time.

So, the Pope has unleashed the wiles of the enemies of God who have been within the Church for years, doing local damage and now wanting to do universal damage to and in Christ's Church.

Interesting. But, despite all of this "mess", none of this makes the Pope a heretic or the false pope of false prophecies.

Both sedevacantists and false prophets or false seers have something in common. They have judged wrongly. Do we have a lack of clear leadership? Perhaps, but if the Pope is allowing this confusion on purpose, not being a man who is spontaneous, one can only come to the conclusion that he, somehow, thinks the chaos is a good. Of course, chaos is never a good.

Sedes are calling him an anti-pope or a false pope, pointing to conspiracy theories about the resignation of the Pope Emeritus. Fantasy fiction based on the desire for someone other than who this pope is drives the sedes.

False prophets and false seers have a special place in hell for those who, in hubris, think they are better than others, holier than thous......

Heretics are in the sixth level of Dante's Inferno, and seducers, liars and false prophets are lower down, in the eighth level of Hell.

Too many good, traditional Catholics are caught up in wanting to know the supposed conspiracies behind closed doors in the Vatican. That is the sin of curiosity, Eve's sin, and a serious one.

We do not need to know everything, and most things are not our business. It is only because of the self-generating greed of the media that we have so much information which, in the long run, is not only useless, but can endanger our souls.

The sin of curiosity led Eve to do something she knew was wrong-listen to satan.

We do not have to know much. Better to pray more and read less at this time. Read the best sources, some of which I have put on this blog: Crisis Mag, Edward Feser, Rorate, etc.

Skip the rest.

If you are following false seers, you must stop and confess the sins of curiosity and pride. If you are veering into the sede camp, be concerned about your immortal soul. Most private revelation is false. And, we as Catholics, do not have to believe any private revelations. Some seers are spewing out heresies and schismatic ideals.

False seers are protestants.

Sedes are protestants.

Sedes and false prophets are the real heretics. Fraud is a type of malice. False seers hate. They hate the Church, and, push themselves forward as the real deal, the truth, when in fact they are far away from Truth, from Christ.

Choose wisely to whom you listen and what you read. Everything goes into one's imagination and memory which must be cleansed in purgatory or on earth in the Dark Night.

Do not choose to go with those who are so holy they cannot accept the Church which God has established on earth.

One's holiness is not about criticizing liturgy, it is not about understanding doctrine, but about obedience.

Whether one likes it or not, one must be obedient to the office of the Pope as the Holy Spirit protects that office. No heresy will be spoken from the Chair of Peter. Obedience is the key to perfection,

If you want to be a saint, be obedient

"Nothing else is worth our living for...." Obedience and The ...

24 Jul 2014

Our lot is a reality, the works of our calling are real, as long as they are done as a service to obedience. Within these bounds there is nothing which does not bear upon Eternity....Obedience to the will of God is work of direct ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: On Obedience and The Laity-First Part

06 Aug 2013

Now, I am not going to refer to members of religious orders, who take vows of obedience, or secular priests, who are to obey their bishops as their direct pastors. I want to discuss our relationship to our bishops and other ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Benedictine mini-series continued-obedience

03 Sep 2012

The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This becometh those who, on account of the holy subjection which they have promised, or of the fear of hell, or the glory of life everlasting, hold nothing dearer than Christ.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Obedience and the Hierarchy of the Church

31 Mar 2013

We do not owe obedience in actions of the Pope or cardinals or bishops or priests which are not in keeping with the teaching of the Church. For example, we do not have to agree with Assisi, 1986, nor go to like services.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Open note to all on the recent LCWR ...

26 Apr 2012

I am grateful for the book Spiritual Theology, by Fr. Jordan Aumann OP,, who quotes a letter from St. Ignatius of Loyola, on obedience. The letter was written on March 16, 1553 in Rome to the brothers and priests in the Jesuits ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: More on Obedience for the Laity-Four

04 Apr 2013

A few more areas where the laity must be obedient are these: 1) when your confessor gives you absolution, you must obey; 2) if your local diocese or the council of bishops in your country declares a holy day of obligation or ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Why obedience in marriage?

24 Jan 2013

Four, obedience leads to a submission to God's Will-if one can give up one's will in small things, God will allow one to learn to give up in large areas for greater sanctification. Five, obedience can lead to a totally Christ-centred ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series Part Three

02 Aug 2014

Over and over again, the Doctors of the Church insist that obedience is the main route to holiness. Bernard in Sermon 46:5 writes this: "Do not imagine that, out of the love of your own leisure, you have the right to omit an act of ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Home Schooling Q and A One Answer Begun in Comments

03 Sep 2013

This post will help with obedience. This is a continuation of a question and comment begun in comments on the last post on home schooling advice. First of all, this author has done a great job synthesizing Montessori on the ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

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To help a reader...one more false seer

IS "THE POEM OF THE MAN-GOD" SIMPLY A BAD NOVEL? 
 
Maria Valtorta's multi-volume life of Jesus flirts with heresy and 
exhibits bad taste. Its claim to authenticity have been rejected by Rome. 
 
by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. 
 
"The Poem of the Man-God" is a five-volume "narrative" of the life of 
Jesus written in the 1940s by a sickly Italian woman named Maria Valtorta. 
"Poem" purports to fill in the details of Jesus' life left blank by the 
four Gospels. Such narratives have been produced since the second century 
A.D. Some were written by gnostic heretics. Some by New Agers and 
occultists. And some were produced by pious Christians who made up stories 
about Jesus to edify their readers and listeners. 
 
The four Gospels do not give a biography of Jesus--or of anyone else in 
His life. Their purpose is evangelical and theological--to proclaim the 
Good News that human beings need for their salvation. Thus, for centuries, 
the "hidden life" of Jesus has been the subject for speculation. 
 
"The Poem of the Man-God" is in this tradition of apocryphal literature on 
New Testament themes. Valtorta claimed that she was the "secretary" of 
Jesus and Mary, and was setting down the divinely inspired truth about 
Jesus' life. The Church has rejected this claim. Nevertheless, "Poem" has 
become quite popular, particularly among Catholics as well. 
 
Remarkably, the book has grown in popularity in part because its champions 
claim that high Church officials--including one Pope--endorsed it. They 
haven't. In fact, "Poem" was included on the Index of Forbidden books 
until the abolition of the Index in the 1960s. No less an authority than 
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of 
the Faith, reiterates the Church's rejection of the claims made for "The 
Poem of the Man-God." 
 
How did "The Poem of the Man-God" come to be, and how has the notion 
become widely accepted that it contains important religious truth? 
 
Maria Valtorta, author of "Poem," was born in 1897 into a sadly 
dysfunctional family, where she suffered emotional abuse at the hands of a 
despotic mother. When she was 23, she was attacked and beaten by a mugger. 
She was never completely well after that.  From 1933 on, she was unable to 
leave her bed. 
 
Maria began to receive "dictations" on Good Friday, 1943. In 1947, she 
handed over 10,000 handwritten pages to her spiritual director, Father 
Romuald Migliorini, O.S.M.  Father Migliorini typed them and Father 
Corrado Berti, O.S.M. bound them. Fr. Berti, brought them to Father later 
Cardinal Augustin Bea, S.J., spiritual director to Pope Pius XII. 
 
Did Pope Pius read the whole manuscript or parts? If only part, which 
part?  Advertisements by the Canadian Central distributors for Valtorta 
(CEDIVAL) quote Father Bea: "I have read in typed manuscripts many of the 
books written by Maria Valtorta . . . As far as exegesis is concerned, I 
did not find any errors in the parts which I examined." Notice, he read 
only parts of the books. Which were they? 
 
On Feb. 26, 1948, Fathers Migliorini, Berti and A. Cecchin enjoyed a 
private audience with Pope Pius XII, as listed in L'Osservatore Romano's 
daily announcement of audiences. Standing in St. Peter's Square after the 
audience, Father Berti wrote down Pope Pius' words as he remembered them. 
These words were "not" printed in L'Osservatore Romano, but Father Berti 
remembered the Pope saying: 
 
"Publish this work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion about its 
origin, whether it be extraordinary or not. Who reads it, will understand. 
One hears of many visions and revelations. I will not say they are all 
authentic; but there are some of which it could be said that they are." 
 
CEDIVAL calls this a "Supreme Pontifical Imprimatur," where "he took upon 
himself to pass the first official judgment on these writings." CEDIVAL 
glues this inside the cover, though the publisher does not print an 
imprimatur. The reason: it has none! 
 
Confident of papal approval, Father Berti brought the books to the Vatican 
press.  However, in 1949, two commissioners of the Holy Office, Msgr. 
Giovanni Pepe and Father Berruti, O.P., condemned the "Poem," ordering 
Berti to hand over every copy and sign an agreement not to publish it. 
Father Berti returned the manuscripts to Valtorta and handed over only his 
typed versions. 
 
Despite his signed promise, in 1952 Father Berti went to publisher 
Emiliano Pisani.  Though aware of the Holy Office's opposition, Pisani 
printed the first volume in 1956, and a new volume each year through 1959. 
 
When volume four appeared, the Holy Office examined the "Poem" and 
condemned it, recommending that it be placed on the Index of Forbidden 
Books Dec. 16, 1959. Pope John XXIII signed the decree and ordered it 
published. L'Osservatore Romano, on Jan.  6, 1960, printed the 
condemnation with an accompanying front-page article, "A Badly 
Fictionalized Life of Jesus," to explain it. 
 
The article complained that the "Poem" broke Canon Law. "Though they treat 
exclusively of religious issues, these volumes do not have an 
"imprimatur," which is required by Canon 1385, sect. 1, n. 2." 
 
Second, the long speeches of Jesus and Mary starkly contrast with the 
evangelists, who portray Jesus as "humble, reserved; His discourses are 
lean, incisive." Valtorta's fictionalized history makes Jesus sound "like 
a chatterbox, always ready to proclaim Himself the Messiah and the Son of 
God," or teach theology in modern terms. The Blessed Mother speaks like a 
"propagandist" for modern Marian theology. 
 
Third, "some passages are rather risque," like the "immodest" dance before 
Pilate (vol.  5, p. 73). There are "many historical, geographical and 
other blunders." For instance, Jesus uses screwdrivers (Vol. 1, pp. 195, 
223), centuries before screws existed. 
 
There are theological errors, as when "Jesus says" (vol. 1, p. 30) that 
Eve's temptation consisted in arousing her flesh, as the serpent 
sensuously "caressed" her. While she "began the sin by herself," she 
"accomplished it with her companion." Sun Myung Moon and Maria Valtorta 
may claim the first sin was sexual, but Scripture does not. 
 
Vol. 1, p. 7, oddly claims, "Mary can be called the 'second-born' of the 
Father . . ." Her explanation limits the meaning, avoiding evidence of an 
authentic heresy; but it does not take away the basic impression that she 
wants to construct a new mariology, which simply goes beyond the limits of 
propriety." "Another strange and imprecise statement" made of Mary (vol. 
4, p. 240) is that she will "be second to Peter with regard to 
ecclesiastical hierarchy. . . " Our Lady surpasses St. Peter's holiness, 
but she is not in the hierarchy, let alone second to St. Peter. 
 
Further, Valtorta did not claim to write a novel, but called herself a 
"secretary" of Jesus and Mary, so, "in all parts on reads the words 'Jesus 
says. . .' or 'Mary says . . .'" The Church takes this claim to revelation 
very seriously, since it has the God-given duty to discern what is or is 
not truly from the Holy Spirit. In Valtorta's case, the Church decided 
against Divine inspiration. 
 
Finally, "Poem" is condemned for reasons of disobedience. Competent Church 
authority had prohibited the printing of Valtorta's work. 
 
Pope John's approval of the condemnation of the "Poem of the Man-God" 
should have ended the issue, but it did not. The publishers printed a 
second edition of 10 volumes, which the Church condemned in another 
front-page article in L'Osservatore Romano, Dec. 1, 1961. This second 
Italian edition was later translated into German, French, Spanish and 
English. 
 
CEDIVAL asserts that a "modernist clan in the Church" . . . 
"surreptitiously attempted to seize the manuscripts and destroy them," 
claiming "firsthand documentation on this." These "enemies" included Msgr. 
Pepe and Father Berruti, the Holy Office censors. 
 
I asked the head of CEDIVAL, Prof. Leo Brodeur, for evidence that Msgr. 
Pepe and Father Berruti held any modernist heresies, but he had none. He 
assumed they were modernists because the "Poem" claims "to help the Church 
fight against the terrible heresy of modernism." If the "Poem's enemies 
are modernists, Msgr. Pepe and Father Berruti must be modernists, too. 
 
Such assertions are unacceptable. Accusations of modernism or any other 
heresy without proof is slander. 
 
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, present head of the Sacred Congregation for the 
Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the same office that condemned the 
"Poem"), informed Cardinal Siri in 1985 of the "Poem's condemnation: 
 
After the dissolution of the Index, when some people thought the printing 
and distribution of the work was permitted, they were reminded again in 
L'Osservatore Romano (June 15, 1966) that "The Index retains its moral 
force despite its dissolution." 
 
More recently (April 17, 1993, Prot. N. 144/58i), he wrote: 
 
"The 'visions' and 'dictations' referred to in the work, "The Poem of the 
Man-God," are simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in 
her own way the life of Jesus.  They cannot be considered supernatural in 
origin." 
 
The best that can be said for "The Poem of the Man-God" is that it is a 
bad novel. This was summed up in the L'Osservatore Romano headline, which 
called the book "A Badly Fictionalized Life of Jesus." 
 
At worst, "Poem's" impact is more serious. Though many people claim that 
"Poem" helps their faith or their return to reading Scripture, they are 
still being disobedient to the Church's decisions regarding the reading of 
"Poem." How can such disregard for Church authority and wisdom be a help 
in renewing the Church in these difficult times? 
 
When Catholics insist on reading "Poem," despite Church condemnation, I 
make these requests: First, read three hours of Scripture for every one 
hour spent in the "Poem." The Church guarantees that the Bible is God's 
Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Church has judged the "Poem" to be 
a poorly done human work. Second, read solid Catholic theology books in 
addition to Scripture. G.K. Chesterton, Frank Sheed, Archbishop Sheen's 
"Life of Christ" and many other works are excellent starts. Third, 
maintain a strong prayer life, drawing closer to Christ Jesus, Our Lord, 
at Mass and at eucharistic adoration, and to our Blessed Mother Mary, 
especially in the Rosary. 
 
If sheep insist on bad pasturage, at least let them take antidotes. 
 
This article appeared in February 1994 edition of "New Covenant"

Note from Supertradmum

I was given one of the volumes in the early 1980s in America and immediately got that queasy, "This is not good" feeling. I looked briefly at it and decided it was not from God even before I read the condemnation of the books. People, stay close to God and you will have discernment.